"Six runs allowed on the mound, a scare" ... Ryu Ji-hyun's South Korea earns a hard-fought 7-6 comeback win over Sangmu Baseball Club ahead of Taiwan game [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] The South Korea national baseball team, pursuing the historic feat of winning five consecutive Asian Games titles (V5), received a sharp wake-up call in its final practice game before departing for the tournament. The team struggled amid inconsistent pitching but showed grit in the tiebreaker to pull off a dramatic walk-off victory.
Led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, the South Korea national baseball team defeated Sangmu Baseball Club 7-6 in a practice game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 17th. Kim Gun-hee of the Kiwoom Heroes delivered the walk-off hit at the end of the eighth-inning tiebreaker. The practice game was shortened to eight innings in preparation for extra-inning tiebreaker situations.
The main focus of Ryu Ji-hyun's evaluation was the pitching staff. Of the 11 pitchers on the roster, eight took the mound in succession, excluding Gwak Been and Choi Min-seok of the Doosan Bears and So Hyeong-jun of KT Wiz. Each was limited to 30 pitches or fewer as the team closely assessed their game form.
The results revealed a clear contrast. Oh Won-seok of KT allowed four hits and two runs in one inning, while Bae Chan-seung of the Samsung Lions collapsed after allowing five hits and four runs in one-third of an inning. In contrast, Kim Youngwoo of the LG Twins, Seong Young-tak of the Kia Tigers, Jo Byeong-hyeon of SSG Landers, Choi Jun-yong and Jinwook Kim of the Lotte Giants, and Park Yeong-hyun of KT shut down the Sangmu lineup without allowing a run, earning the manager's approval.

The lineup struggled through the middle innings, trailing 3-6, but displayed tremendous focus when it mattered most. In the eighth-inning tiebreaker, which began with runners on first and second and no outs, Park Jun-soon of the Doosan Bears and Kim Gun-hee produced back-to-back RBI hits. South Korea scored four runs in an instant to complete a thrilling 7-6 comeback.
After completing an intense training camp from its first call-up on the 14th through the 17th, Ryu Ji-hyun's team will depart for Nagoya, Japan, on the 18th. Following two days of training to acclimate to the local stadium, South Korea will face Taiwan in its opening group-stage game at 6:30 p.m. on the 21st at Okazaki Central General Park Baseball Stadium. The game could determine the destination of the gold medal.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter